The Cookie Routine
by CelticKnot12
Summary: Hardison has a routine. Trust his dad to ruin it.


_Hello,_ Leverage_ world! So nice to see all y'all here in my first attempt at a _Leverage_ story. It's a one-shot, though it may seem otherwise to some, for which I apologize. Please read, enjoy, and review!_

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Alec's Nana called once a week, every Saturday evening at 7, to be precise.

Normally they reminisced for a little while, then Alec would recount the most recent tale of triumph over the evil of the world, and Nana would have a smile in her voice as she urged him to come over, if not for dinner, then at least for cookies! She would even pick up some orange soda, though she didn't hold with the sugar-water epidemic that was sweeping the nation. Alec would laugh, say yes ma'am, he would be stopping by; any day now they would have some time off from saving the world. As soon as they had a bit of a break, he would head straight over, and he'd bring some homemade cookies of his own—her favorite, macadamia nut with almonds. And she didn't have to get any soda, he was an adult now, and he'd drink coffee with her.

Both of them knew that he didn't like coffee, but every week he promised, and every week she would wish him luck in saving the world: stay away from guns, you know how bad your hand eye coordination is, make sure you eat enough, and for pity's sake, spend some time outside once in a while! Computer screens rot your brain.

Then he would grin and say, I'll be sure to, Nana, thanks for your concern, and I'll be sure to call you to let you know you were right when I have problems with constipation. And she would sass back, you do that, and mind your mouth. God didn't make that thing just to flap in the breeze.

He'd laugh, goodbye, Nana, I love you.

I love you too, she would say, and her voice would be thick with missing.

On Tuesday, in the middle of a conversation with the team about their current con, his cell sang happily with the Firefly theme song, and when he picked it up he saw Nana's picture smiling widely at him. The smirk that had been glued to his face fell off, and as he slid the unlock button he realized he couldn't remember where it came from. Maybe it was from teasing Eliot. Maybe Parker was being silly.

He felt the team watching him curiously was he pulled the phone up to his ear, dread pounding in his stomach with a sledge hammer he couldn't seem to remember giving it. "Hello."

"Alec, honey." It was Nana's voice, and relief poured into his gut. He'd been afraid that something had happened to her. That maybe, even though it had been her face on the caller I.D., it wouldn't be her voice on the other end. He walked into the kitchen and leaned against a counter for support.

"Nana, is everything alright?" Had she broken a leg? Was she having chest pains?

"Oh, I'm fine, Alec, you don't have to worry about me." Heavy breathing from her side revealed some form of trepidation, though. Alec knew her, just like she knew him.

"Then what's wrong?" Something was wrong. He knew it. He could feel it.

"I... got a call from a friend of your dad's today. He said that your father had passed away. He wanted me to let you know that the funeral is Thursday…"

His fingers coursed over his head heavily, and when they reached his neck, they kneaded deeply. Dad was dead? What had happened, and why had it taken this long in the first place? If everything Alec remembered about Dad was correct—and state paperwork and police records assured him that it was—then Dad should have been in the line of fire for years now. Betraying two different drug rings would stick a person there, and people who ran in those circles were not any more forgiving than Alec.

"…Alec?" Nana's voice was suddenly loud in his ear, and he realized that he'd probably gone silent. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Thanks for calling me." He wasn't fine. He wasn't thankful. He wished that she'd gotten the call on Saturday at seven. Maybe then this would be normal. He wished it was.

"I love you, Alec." She said. Her voice didn't hold missing, it held concern. He wanted it to leave, it didn't belong there. Just like Dad didn't belong in their conversations. Dad didn't belong in his life.

"I love you, too." It was out of order. He always said it first. He didn't know what to do now. Did he hang up? Did he wait for her to say she loved him? But she had just said it. If he stayed on the line she would keep talking, and if they kept talking, the conversation would dwell too much on Dad… He hung up the phone and walked back out to the living room where the team was waiting.

"Everything okay?" Nate asked, watchful eyes silently warning him that if he lied, they would know.

"Yeah, everything's great." He lied anyways. Just because they were a team didn't mean they didn't have boundaries. Maybe no one would ask.

He watched them all exchange worried glances. He pretended not to notice.

"You sure?"

He just wanted to be alone. If only he could just head out for his own apartment without them asking what was wrong. If he walked out, they would be more worried. They would make him say what had happened. "Yep."

Funny… he'd never realized how quiet it was when he was silent. It was weird being quiet. Dad hadn't liked the quiet. It was always quiet the morning after, when Mom was sad and would go on a cleaning binge, and when Alec would sit in his room and play Pong. One day Dad had pulled them into the living room and told them that it was too quiet, and that they needed to talk. Mom had yelled at him, said that if he wanted them to talk so much then maybe he should do something worth talking about instead of hanging out with those junkies all the time.

I do, he'd replied. I've been trying to get a job for weeks! Do you know how hard it is to come by work in this stupid town?

No, I don't, Mom said. I have a job.

Mom went into the bedroom, grabbed a suitcase and started throwing clothes into it, crying. I love you, Alec, she whispered to him when she had zippered her bag up and carried it to the front door. I always will.

I love you too, Mama, he'd said, and he started crying, mostly because she was.

Tell your Daddy that I love him too, that I'll come back. Okay?

She'd kissed him on the forehead and walked out. She didn't come back.

From then on, Alec talked.

And from the fidgeting he felt around him, he could tell that the others were uncomfortable with the silence. In fact, the more he wallowed in it, the more he himself was. "I need to go for a walk."

No one stopped him. He grabbed his cell phone and walked outside to his car. He pressed six on his speed dial, then hit the green button.

"Alec, honey, are you okay?" Nana's voice sounded louder in the open space than it had sounded in Nate's apartment.

"I'm okay. I'm coming over. Do you want me to get cookies?"

He heard a soft smile that melded with sadness when she replied. "I have a fresh batch in the oven right now. Pick up some orange soda."

"I'm already on my way to the grocery store." He started his car and drove in that general direction.

They wouldn't be homemade, but maybe he'd buy macadamia nut cookies, too.

"Goodbye, I love you," he said.

"I love you too." She said, and her voice held missing.


End file.
